


The Dance of Souls

by thellamaofthesouth



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Dead Soulmates, F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Soulmates, Witch - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2020-09-01 21:24:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20264731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thellamaofthesouth/pseuds/thellamaofthesouth
Summary: There are some kinds of magic that can never be banished, not matter how hard Uther may try. What will happen when a witch comes to Camelot and tries to reunite lost soulmates?





	1. Chapter 1

The Midwinter Festival was finally upon Camelot, and anticipation hung heavy in the air. The day was an important milestone for the kingdom, as it was the day before the yearly winter rationing occurred. Every year, the hunters would enter the forest looking for the last game of the season, and the kingdom’s supplies would be inventoried. If there wasn’t a deficit, the entirety of Camelot would come together to feast, but if it happened to be an unlucky year, this would be the day where they learned what goods were going to be scarce.

Thankfully, this year’s was particularly plentiful. Ever since they had made peace with Cedric’s kingdom illegal poaching had decreased, and the game stores had nearly tripled in size in comparison to years past. Having foreseen this, Uther had invited all of the surrounding nobility to bask in Camelot’s riches. Unfortunately for Arthur, that meant that Merlin was busier than ever. If there was ever a time he wished his manservant was by his side it was now. He always disliked when the neighboring nobility came because they were dreadfully dull. They consistently trapped him into conversations about grain storage and horse grooming that lasting about five times longer than they should. More than that though, most nobility, as he had come to realize, was not nearly as kind to their servants as the nobles he knew in Camelot, and he often feared, although he would never admit it, that they would cause Merlin harm. On several occasions he had the misfortune of being present when another’s servant had been “taught a lesson” for the slightest of accidents. Whenever he returned from these endeavors he always made sure to mentally thank Merlin for saving him from becoming ruthless like that.

Another side effect of Merlin being gone was that he was now going to have to deal with George the entire day. Though he had been trying his best, it was simply impossible to escape him. Thankfully, midway through the day his father summoned him, effectively saving him from agony he would otherwise have to endure.

Upon arriving at the throne room, Arthur found his father swarmed by servants and nobility alike; a single island weathering a hurricane from the sea that surrounded him. Arthur watched the chaos unfold for several moments, mesmerized at how his father handled it all, before he was noticed. Immediately, the sea parted and Uther rushed towards him.

“Arthur, follow me. We must speak in private.” Hesitantly, he followed his father to his chambers. When they arrived, Uther curtly told the guard to prevent anyone from disturbing them, and locked Arthur and himself inside. However, he did not stop in the main room, but proceeded to the far wall of the chamber. The tapestry that hung on the wall was one of the most detailed in all of Camelot, but Uther seemed unconcerned with this as he brushed it out of the way, revealing a door on the other side. Ushering Arthur inside, he promptly locked the door and began pacing. 

“Today is a busy day for Arthur, so I need your full attention so we can get this settled quickly.”

“Father, I really don’t see the need for all the secrecy. We are not at war, our enemies are still recovering from battle, and no sorcerers have been spotted anywhere in Camelot for several weeks now. I hardly think that there is something so grave that it requires this level of-”

“What did I just say, Arthur? Now listen because I don’t have much time. Today is not an ordinary day, it is an unavoidable day.” For a brief moment, Uther paused his pacing and looked off into the distance. “As you know, magic has been banished in all of Camelot. However, there is one form of magic that can never truly be removed.”

“People can form bonds with one another, bonds so strong that they tie the very souls of those people together eternally. Soulmates.” His words were heavy, soaked in an emotion that Arthur could not place. Could it possibly be sadness? “When one person from this pair dies, the bindings are torn apart. The loss of a soulmate is a pain even the most seasoned warriors cannot bear alone.”

“Why are you telling me this? There is nothing we can do to stop people from falling in love.” Arthur knew his father was determined to remove magic from the kingdom, but forbidding love? There was no way his father could be proposing something so preposterous. 

“No, we can’t, but today’s Midwinter is a very special one. Every ten years a witch visits the kingdom bearing letters. Each of them has been written by the deceased soulmate to their lover inviting them to join them for a single day. They urge the living to visit the dead and reunite for one brief and fleeting moment more. No matter what we do we cannot keep her away, but we can decline her offers. Once all invitations have been declined she will leave and not return for ten more years.”

“I tell you all this because I want you to be prepared. This is not a sign that magic is permitted, nor a sign that our laws or army are growing weak, but simply a sign that we can defeat magic if we refuse to allow it to infest our kingdom. I need you to stay calm tonight, and to recognize that this witch is not offering us peace or love, but simply trying to use our pain against us.” 

Arthur didn’t know what to say. He knew that magic was dangerous, but he never would have even imagined how horrific it could be. How cruel one must be to tempt someone with something that cannot last. He had barely begun to process everything when he father spoke up once more.

“Arthur, I must go finish the preparations for tonight, but first I need you to promise me that you will show restraint tonight. You need to show the people of Camelot, and our guests, that no magic is strong enough to infiltrate Camelot.”

Without hesitating, Arthur nodded, “I give you my word father, so long as I live no magic will ever be permitted within the kingdom’s walls.”


	2. Chapter 2

The rest of the day passed in a blur for Arthur. Somehow, all the necessary preparations had been finalized, and the feast had begun without a hitch. Nobles from all the surrounding kingdom’s were present for the festivities, celebrating the plentiful year Camelot had had. 

The great hall had been fully transformed for the festival. Candles lit every corner of the room casting warm, yellow puddles of light into every corner. Seasonal plants, most of which Arthur did not recognize, were hung are the hall, coating every column and ledge. Servants were hurrying in and out of the room carrying enormous plates of food and pitcher upon pitcher of wine and mead. 

Thankfully, Merlin had somehow managed to escape the day unscathed, and had caused a surprisingly low amount of incidents. To reward him for this, and to ensure that Arthur had company in case the nobility became too dull, Merlin was allowed to stay in the hall the entirety of the event. Although it was undoubtedly boring to simply stand behind Arthur all night filling his glass, it kept him from trouble and made it so that he was not forced to continually run back and forth from the kitchens. 

After a few hours, the room had begun to grow quieter and the festivities were wrapping up. Most of the nobles looked ready to head back to their rooms, but before there were able the main door swung open. Immediately, the candles in the room grew dimmer. The air in the room began to feel heavier and the smell of rain washed over the room. In the doorway, a cloaked figure could be seen waiting. 

“Did you think I would forget, Uther?” The voice appeared to belong to the figure, but it couldn’t possibly be coming from her. From Uther’s description, the witch had to be at least 50 years old, or even an ancient being, but the voice sounded no older than him. 

“Witch, I have warned you not to come back to this place. We do not want your invitations, nor do we want anything from a filthy magic user such as yourself.”

“As charming as ever Uther.” Tipping back her head, the hood of her cloak fell back revealing a beautiful women. She had long wavy hair that cascaded down her back. Her skin was the color of caramel and her eyes were pure gold. “Very well, I will deliver the invitations with haste.”

She entered the room and walked straight to Uther. From her bag she removed a small piece of parchment with neat handwriting on it. Arthur strained to read it, but to no avail, the delicate handwriting was too far for him to see. “Uther Pendragon, King of Camelot, Igraine-

“I decline your invitation and do not accept the message. Now hurry up before we all grow as old as you.”

“Very well then, your highness,” she sneered. She then began making her way around the room. In total, she presented invitations to 30 people, most of the older people who had lost their loved ones to illness, but also some who were Arthur’s age who had lost loved ones to war and hunting accidents. Every person she talked to look to be in so much pain. No one truly wanted to say no to her offer, but they knew it was what they had to do. It infuriated Arthur to see her torment so many people with her cruel tricks. 

After she had swept the entirety of the room, Uther began to speak once more. “You have done what you needed to do, now be gone from this kingdom at once.”

“Now now, Uther, I know the deal, but I simply can’t leave yet. I have one more message to deliver,” she smiled at him, challenging him to try something.

“That’s ridiculous. No one else in this room has lost a spouse. I know everyone you typically deliver to, and all of them have received their letters.”

Instead of answering, she began to make her way around the table. She appeared to be making her way straight to Arthur before she stopped just short. Smiling sadly, she pulled out a worn paper. The writing on it was not nearly as precise as the one his father had received. The page was covered in ink splatters and crossed out words. It was clear that whoever wrote it was not trained to read or write.

“Merlin of Ealdor, the Druid Freya has invited you to join her for the Dance of Souls, and has sent this message. Will you accept?”

Arthur could not believe what he was seeing. Merlin, his manservant, was being offered an invitation to see his soulmate, who Arthur had never met nor had ever heard of, by a witch right next to him. So many questions were buzzing around his head. Who was Freya? When did Merlin come in contact with Druids? How did she die? Why had Merlin never mentioned her? 

Arthur watched Merlin, waiting to see what he would do. Unlike his father, Merlin hesitated. He was not so eager to give up his chance to see whoever this Freya person was. For what felt like hours Merlin stared at the witch with a pained look on his face. For a brief moment, it appeared he was going to accept her invitation, but after an eternity he choked out, “I…I decline your offer.” 

“Very well then. Uther, I will be on my way now,” she said, and without another word she disappeared.


End file.
